Co$tingNature for Sustainable Development

Introduction

Co$tingNature for Sustainable Development (CN4SD) is an open-access, globally focused, simple, map and spreadsheet based interface to outputs from the Co$tingNature natural capital and ecosystem services policy support system. Ecosystem services are the benefits that we receive from wild nature. Co$tingNature is a widely used sophisticated, spatial policy support system for mapping and understanding natural capital and ecosystem services.

CN4SD provides spatial data on the current distribution of natural capital and ecosystem services across the world, and the impacts of three scenarios for change on natural capital and ecosystem services.  These scenarios represent:

• Business-as-usual land use change to 2030

• Investment in land management through avoided habitat loss 

• Investment in land management through restoration of degraded nature

CN4SD is focused on highlighting priority areas for investment on the basis of the current risks to nature and the risks of nature loss to livelihoods and economy, as well as identifying which areas are best suited to conservation or restoration investments.  The Co$tingNature policy support system is a sophisticated system with many inputs and outputs. CN4SD improves access to Co$tingNature outputs by providing a simple, open-access interface which is accessible to all.  CN4SD provides accessible  spatial intelligence of current natural capital and ecosystem service provision,  through global, national and regional visualisation. It highlights sensitive areas where further nature loss could generate risks to populations and economies and identifies priority areas in which:

• •  investment in existing nature avoids loss of natural capital (and associated risks to nature)  relative to business-as-usual, or 

  • where restoration of lost nature can help mitigate the risks of nature loss to the continued delivery of ecosystem services.
    
    

CN4SD thus contributes to nature-proofing of development investments, with relevance to UNFCCC, CBD, IPBES, TCFD, TNFD, the UNSDGs and other targets and investments by regional, national, bilateral and multilateral conservation and restoration donors.

This open-access tool is provided, with support of the UK REDAA (Reversing Environmental Degradation in Africa and Asia) programme of the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and partners.

Getting Started with Co$tingNature for Sustainable Development

• Co$tingNature for Sustainable Development (CN4SD) is available here but is in development and so should be used only for testing purposes